Switzerland World Cup 2026 team guide

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

The plan

This is the sixth time in a row Switzerland have qualified for the World Cup and they will fly out to the US west coast on Tuesday with high expectations, setting up base in San Diego. “We want to play the best World Cup seen from a Swiss team,” the coach, Murat Yakin, told Blick. “The feeling that we could have reached the final of the last Euros [they lost on penalties to England in the quarter-finals] gives us something to dream about.”

Switzerland have never got past the quarter-finals at the World Cup, last reaching that stage on home soil in 1954. Since then, their adventures have typically ended in the last 16, as was the case in 2022 in Doha when they lost 6-1 to Portugal.

However, there are many reasons why Swiss fans can approach the tournament with hope and anticipation. The team were very comfortable in qualifying, finishing top of their group ahead of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, winning four games and drawing two.

There is a good mix in the squad between the elder statesmen – such as Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez – and a younger generation represented by Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Johan Manzambi among others. Moreover, the Nati have so far avoided injuries with the Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni seemingly winning his battle to get back after an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Noah Okafor is back too, having been sidelined after a poor Euro 2024, where he responded badly to not playing before launching a public dig at Yakin when left out from subsequent squads. The Leeds forward has apologised to the coach and the rest of the squad and is in the form of his life. “We’ve both done the right thing. His development has been very positive; he could be a key player at the World Cup,” Yakin said.

Yakin’s preferred system is a 4-2-3-1, though he has recently been flirting with 3-4-3 and Denis Zakaria at right wing-back. It was this formation that took them to the last eight at the Euros.

The coach

Murat Yakin. His standing has never been higher and the defender Rodriguez is one of those impressed. “Murat is doing a really good job,” he said. “Over the years, he’s become even more open and communicative with us. He talks to us a lot, asks for our opinions from time to time and listens to us. He’s really brilliant at that.”

Yakin’s appointment as Vladimir Petkovic’s successor, in August 2021, came as a surprise given he was in charge of second-tier FC Schaffhausen at the time and there have been sticky periods, such as the loss to Portugal and weak performances in the buildup to Euro 2024, when he was publicly criticised by Xhaka. After the positive tournament, however, he extended his contract to 2028.

Star player

The captain, Granit Xhaka, remains the team’s most important player at the age of 33. He is the linchpin of Switzerland’s buildup play, dictating the tempo and ensuring a balance between defence and attack. This will probably be the last World Cup for Switzerland’s record appearance-maker, but he could well continue his international career after the tournament. He has followed up two outstanding years at Bayer Leverkusen with an equally impressive one for Sunderland, the Premier League newcomers who secured Europa League football on the last day of the season. Xhaka, as he says, is like a good red wine: the older, the better.

Granit Xhaka will lead Switzerland at the World Cup. Photograph: Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images

One to watch

Johan Manzambi. The Geneva-born midfielder’s impressive season at Freiburg has not gone unnoticed with Europe’s top clubs monitoring the all-rounder. Hardly a week goes by without a new rumour surfacing about where Switzerland’s biggest talent will play next. He could become the most expensive Swiss transfer after the World Cup, beating the €45m Arsenal paid Borussia Mönchengladbach for Xhaka in 2016. His versatility helps as he is able to play as a No 6, No 8, No 10 or even up front. For the national team he is not yet a regular starter, but is often brought on in a wide position. Yakin has said Manzambi can be a “secret weapon” in North America, adding: “His development is really impressive. When he was first called up to the national team last summer we realised straight away the incredible potential he has.”

Unsung hero

Remo Freuler. The Zurich native had to work hard to get to the top, having once been told he was not good enough for Grasshoppers, which led to a move to second-tier Winterthur. His move from Luzern to Serie A and Atalanta in 2016 took many by surprise, but he settled in Italy and became increasingly important for the national team as well. Having fought his way into the starting lineup after the 2018 World Cup he is now indispensable and perfectly complements the playmaker Xhaka in midfield. The 34-year-old excels through his running capacity, his strength in one-on-one situations and his footballing intelligence – and even scores the odd important goal from time to time.

Probable starting XI

What to expect from fans at games?

Swiss supporters usually turn out in droves for major tournaments and the fan marches at Euro 2024 in Germany are still fresh in memory. Then, more than 10,000 turned the cities red and white. That, sadly, will not happen this time. Only about 500 have tickets for the group games through the Swiss FA and about 2,000 for the knockout stages. As was the case four years ago in Qatar, the political situation is stopping some from making the trip and it is compounded by the high costs of flights, accommodation and travel. Their favourite song is “Schwiizer Nati, olé olé” and the fans have come up with a chant for striker Breel Embolo to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Relationship with the US/Trump?

Do not expect any player to comment on the US president or the political situation. The Swiss FA president, Peter Knäbel, said at the end of 2025: “We will ensure again this year that the team can and will focus 100% on the sport. If an issue directly affects our values as an association, we will – as we have done in the past – take a clear stand.” The US and Switzerland have been involved in tense trade discussions in recent months with Donald Trump hitting out in April. “Switzerland presents itself as a ‘small and brilliant’ country,” he told CNBC. “They’re brilliant because they pay us almost nothing. Now they pay a little bit. They should pay much more.”

Written by Christian Finkbeiner for Blick